Project 6 Clear Separation

I have had some real difficulty in working on this project because I am not absolutely sure of what is required. I find it difficult to imagine any landscape image that does not contain a foreground, middle ground and background. In part this is because if the actual middle ground is 'missing' the natural thing to do is to imagine one or simply divide the image into three horizontal sections. Experience tells us that  there is never a situation where there is literally nothing between elements. (I am ignoring the rather esoteric philosophical discussion as to whether something exists if we cannot experience it.) Having said that I have taken the following photographs to meet the requirements of the project.

Foreground distinct from Background

In this image the middle ground is not visible because it lies within a valley. The hedgerow and trees immediately behind give the foreground and the latter provide a frame linking the foreground and background. 

Again the middle ground is not visible to the viewer. The link between background and middle ground is in part given by the similarity in shape between the two. There is also the presence of the sea in the image bottom right that is 'interrupted' by the foreground which strengthens the link.

Foreground, Middle ground and Background

Here I have used the isolated sun kissed rock as the foreground with the headland immediately behind that rock as the middle ground and the far distant headland as the background. The lighting on the foreground rock is mirrored in the distant headland whilst the middle ground remains untouched by the sun.

In this image I have tried something different. Taking the copse of trees as the foreground I have placed  lone tree in the middle ground and another lone tree in the background. The viewer is given the usual clues about relationships within the image by the difference in size of objects ( in this case the trees) and the depth of focus with the foreground providing the sharpest part of the image and the background offering a less clear picture.

There was a similar exercise to this in one of my earlier Courses. At that time I followed the suggestion that I look at the work of landscape painters and I refreshed my memory again on this occasion. Whilst this was useful, particularly 'The Sermon on the Mount' , I still have difficulty envisaging a landscape in which the middle ground is 'not there'.